Beloved
You Are Truly Beloved
Baptism Of The Lord
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: January 12, 2025
A new movie about Bob Dylan just came out. I have not seen it, but it did cause me to listen to some of his music. One song struck me, called, “With God On Our Side.” He is reflecting on American history and how they were taught, that God was on their side. In each war that came they were glad to fight, for God was on their side. “For you don't count the dead when God's on your side.” At the American Civil War both sides were ready to fight, with God on their side.
Throughout this history, people were ready to hate the other side, to go to war, for God was on their side. Then he sings, “And you never ask questions when God's on your side.” It is this mentality of having God on our side that divides countries, political groups, religions and so on. With God on our side, we are special, even our hatreds and prejudices are justified. We deserve special treatment.
At the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I wonder about how Jesus saw himself. Did he see himself as having God on his side and what did that mean. After his baptism, while in prayer, he has an experience in which he hears, a voice from heaven say to him, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
In what sense did Jesus see himself as special, as having God on his side? Did that sense of being chosen or having this special relationship, did it follow that everything went well in his life? Was he given special treatment? Well, it would be hard to say that considering the way his life ended. Arrested, judged, crucified.
The experience of the Baptism, was about that deep sense of being the Son of the Father, truly Beloved. Jesus experienced this in a deep way and his whole life was motivated by that sense of being Beloved. This motivated his relationship with others, his priorities, his way of seeing others. Especially the poor, the sick, the excluded. He was Beloved, so he was able to help others to see that they were Beloved. It was not about being superior, not about receiving special treatment, but a driving vision guiding his whole life.
When I was Vocation Director, I gradually came to realize that one of the things that we need to look at in a man considering the priesthood, is whether he has that sense of being Beloved. If a man thinks he is going to change the church, if he thinks he is special and superior to others, then it is probably not going to go well in the priesthood. Only if he really has a deep sense of being Beloved and then is motivated out of a spirit of gratitude will the priesthood be something healthy and good.
When a priest is rooted in a sense of being Beloved, he will minister in such a way, and be with people in such a way, that they will be able to experience themselves as Beloved. When people call us Father, it is not meant to put us on a pedestal, not to indicate that we are special. Rather, when we are called Father, it should be a reminder to us that we are to assist people to recognize the Father calling to their hearts, you are my daughter, you are my son.
The people in our world need this experience of being Beloved so deeply. Our leaders need this experience, our parents, our teachers, our priests. Someone who has this experience of being Beloved will be motivated by love, by gratitude, by a desire to serve others. They will not be looking for approval of others, not looking for special treatment.
As I watch movies and various shows today, so often the characters are dealing with issues in their relationships with their fathers, with their mothers. They did not experience being truly beloved in their family relationships. This really influences all of their relationships and their way of being with others.
When we look at various leaders in our world today, when we look back at their relationship or lack of relationship with their fathers, it often explains so much about how they are living. Who was someone who helped you to experience yourself as beloved? A parent, a teacher, a priest, a friend? In your relationships, are you with others in such a way that it helps them to experience themselves as beloved?
In our Baptism, we were united with Jesus in his relationship as the Beloved Son of the Father. Recognize yourselves as beloved daughters, beloved sons of God. Be with others so that they will be able to believe that they too are truly beloved.
Thank You For Being Born
4th Sunday Ordinary Time
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: January 29, 2023
Sometimes as I reflect on the Scripture readings in preparing for a Homily, I really find it difficult. Some passages seem so profound, so deep, so important, that I feel overwhelmed. I wonder if anything I say is going to be too abstract or simplistic or superficial. That I will not be able to get to the full radical nature of a passage. The Beatitudes is definitely one of those passages.
As I was struggling this week, I noticed a tweet from a Pastor who was reflecting on the Beatitudes to preach this week. He said, “I spent 3 hours today trying to wrap my head around the Beatitudes for this coming Sunday and my brain is actual mush.” I saw several others like that. It made me feel better that I am not alone in struggling to preach on such a profound passage. In fact, the Beatitudes might be the most important teaching of Jesus. As I was struggling with how to preach on this passage I began to remember a movie I recently saw called Broker.
It is a Korean film by one of my favourite Directors. The film shows a number of misfit characters, each of them struggling in life. Each of them living without a family. One whose mother abandoned him as a baby and who spent his whole life hoping she would return for him. Another who was rejected by the mother of his young daughter and was not able to have contact with his daughter. A woman who was in poverty and so was working as a prostitute and felt forced to abandon a new born baby conceived by one of her customers. And a little 6 year old boy from an orphanage, who was abandoned and longed for a family, who snuck into their vehicle.
I will not get into the details of the movie, but at one point as they are out on this journey together, they gradually form a strange little family. One that none of them had ever had before. At a certain moment, the little boy turns to the baby who they were trying to abandon, and says, “thank you for being born.”
Then one by one they turn to each person in the group and say, “thank you for being born.” Maybe for the first time in their lives that they had someone who was thankful that they were born. It struck me that the Beatitudes are ultimately about how we are Blessed by a God who offers us a family and who speaks to our heart, “thank you for being born.”
The Beatitudes reveal the dream of God, for a world where no one is abandoned, where the life of each person is appreciated. It is not about spiritual giants who are impeccable spiritually and morally. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those of us who have nothing spiritually to offer and everything to receive. Think of the prodigal son who says, “I am not worthy to be called your son.” Only to see for the first time all that he had in having a Father.
When you are poor in spirit, feel that you do not pray enough, do not pray well, you are still blessed. For God says, you are my beloved. When you are mourning, life seems sad and lonely, you are still blessed, for God says, you are my beloved. When you are meek and gentle, but seem to lose in life, you are still blessed, for God says, you are my beloved. When you see war and violence and division in our world, be a peacemaker, for you are blessed by God who says, you are my Beloved.
The Beatitudes are about God’s dream. It is not about being strong, successful, winning, earning God’s love. You are blessed, you are the beloved of God. God is trying to say to you “thank you for being born.” We are to live in such a way that no one is abandoned, that each person feels in our presence that they are beloved.
I want each of you to turn to the people on either side of you now and say to them, “thank you for being born.”
Living the Beatitudes is about being with others so that they feel that in their heart.
Who Are You?
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: January 9, 2022
Who are you? How we answer that question is crucial to how we live our life.
When you are asked that question you might choose to tell the person about your career, your profession, your studies or about other things you do. You might tell the person about your achievements, ways you have succeeded, or other accomplishments.
More likely you will tell the person about your relationships, your parents, your spouse, your children, your friends.
How would Jesus answer that question? In the account of his being baptized by John the Baptist in Luke’s Gospel, we hear a voice from heaven saying. “This is my Son, the Beloved.” Who was Jesus? He was a Beloved Son. This was perhaps the most important moment in the life of Jesus. In this identity we find the motivation, the inner drive of Jesus. All that he was and did is rooted in this intimate unity with the Father, this deep sense of being a Beloved Son.
Today in front of our altar is the Baptismal Font and Easter Candle. It is here this weekend for a practical reason, we have some children being baptized this afternoon. It is also timely in that today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This is a time for us to reflect on who we are in light of our baptism.
As we remember our own baptism, it is simply God saying to us, your are my beloved son or daughter.
Beloved. To be loved. How many are struggling in life because they have never felt that they were beloved.
This is the key to a healthy and life giving Catholic Faith. That you know yourself to be the beloved daughter or son of God. But, many of us struggle to believe this, we may know this theoretically, but find it difficult to know this in our heart. We feel we are not worthy, not good enough to be the beloved of God. It is for this reason that St. Paul says, “he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy,” It is the free unearned grace of God that we are now able to be a beloved daughter or son of God.
When parents bring children for baptism they are taking on the responsibility to raise them in the faith. This includes teaching them to pray, teaching them the basics of the faith. But, the most important way a parent carries out this responsibility is to love them in such a way that they can believe that they are loved by God. A theologian once said,
‘After a mother has smiled at her child for many days and weeks, she finally receives her child’s response. She has awakened love in the heart of her child’. You see, a child learns to love by being loved. You could say that a baby first comes to know the love of God when they first see their parent smiling down with love.
As Catholics today we are called to Evangelization, to share the Faith. We are to be Missionaries. The first step in being a good missionary is to know yourself to be the beloved of God. When we know that deep inside, then we want others to also know that they are loved by God.
Who around you needs to know that they are the beloved son or daughter of God? How can you be the person to help them to know that? A kind word. Offering forgiveness. A smile.
Does the way we speak and act reflect someone who is beloved by God? When Christians are condemning to hell rather than opening people’s hearts to recognize the love of God then there is a problem.
God did not save us and love us because of anything we did. We were not judged worthy for salvation. Jesus came to us not as a reward for good behaviour or right thinking. This is small minded thinking about God. Does God say, you act and think in this way or I will not love you?
So many experience broken relationships. A family member, a friend. They no longer speak with the other because of some misunderstanding or some hurt. Sometimes one does need to distance themselves from an abusive situation. But, sometimes it takes one side to reach out, to take the first step. That can be risky, since there is no guarantee that the other side will not reject the extended hand.
God is the one who took the first step with us. God reached out to us in Jesus. We simply need to accept the invitation to return into this relationship with God.
Baptism is the sacrament in which we were embraced into the love of God as a son or daughter of God. Deep down accept this love of God. Do not put yourself down, do not be afraid to joyfully be in the presence of God. Hear God speaking in your heart today, You are my Beloved.